Uplift Magazine

Okay, so how awesome* is this new project from American journalist/pundit/agony-advisor Dan Savage?

Born out of the deeply sad news of that 15 year old Billy Lucas, a high-school student in Indiana, had committed suicide after intense homophobic bullying from his class’mates’, this project seeks to speak to all those LGBTQ youth who might find themselves in a similar situation. As Savage says of Lucas’s story in his relationship advice column, Savage Love;

I wish I could have talked to this kid for five minutes. I wish I could have told Billy that it gets better. I wish I could have told him that, however bad things were, however isolated and alone he was, it gets better.

Whilst it is sadly too late to reach out to Lucas, it is never too late to try to speak to others like him. Recognising that schools and other institutions in the US are wary of bringing in LGBTQ spokespeople to talk with students, Savage has cut out the middle man and created a YouTube channel entitled ‘It Gets Better Project‘. Along with his husband, Terry, Dan Savage has started the ball rolling with a video speaking openly of a difficult and harassed adolescence that has become a fulfilling and happy life. Savage is encouraging others to upload their stories to the channel and Perez Hilton has even added his voice to the project.

The channel has only been in existence for a little while and yet there are already tonnes of heartfelt, inspiring and encouraging stories on there. It’s a wonderful example of finding hope and creating good out of tragic situations. Take a look, pass it on, and even add your own vlogging voice – how else can we grow but through social movements such as these?

*And I mean that in the original sense, not in the ‘like a hot dog‘ sense.